30 November 2023

Q1. Consider the following statements in the context of Ravanachayya:

1. It is a form of shadow puppetry of Odisha.
2. The puppets are in one piece and have no joints.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• 1 only
• 2 only
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation:

Ravanachayya of Odisha is a form of shadow puppetry. Hence statement 1 is correct.  The manipulation of puppets requires great dexterity since there are no joints. Thus puppets are in one piece and have no joints. Hence statement 2 is correct.  They are not colored, hence throw opaque shadows on the screen.The puppets are made of deerskin and are conceived in bold dramatic poses. Apart from human and animal characters, many props such as trees, mountains, chariots, etc. are also used. Although Ravanachhaya puppets are smaller in size-the largest not more than two feet have no jointed limbs, they create very sensitive and lyrical shadows.

Q2. Consider the following pairs:

State; Shadow Puppetry

1. Karnataka – Ravanachhaya
2. Maharashtra – Charma Bahuli Natya
3. Tamil Nadu – Thol Bommalata
4. Odisha – Togalu Gombeyaata

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

1. 1 and 4 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation:

• Ravanachayya – Odisha
• Charma Bahuli Natya – Maharashtra
• Thol Bommalata – Tamil Nadu
• Togalu Gombeyaata – Karnataka

Q3. Which among the following sites are associated with Ashokan art and architecture/inscriptions?

1. Dhauli
2. Maski
3. Kandahar
4. Girnar

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation:

Depiction of a monumental rock-cut elephant at Dhauli has Ashokan rock-edict.Ashokaisreferredtoas Devanampiya Piyadassi(Belovedofthegods).Onlytheinscription at Maski identified Ashoka by name, and hence it became evident that DevanampiyaPiyadassi was a title Ashoka held.The Kandahar Rock Inscription, is a famous bilingual edict in Greek and Aramaic, proclaimed and carved in stone by the Indian Maurya Empire ruler Ashoka. It mentions about fishermen and tribes who have ceased from hunting.Around 14 edicts of Ashoka are located on the route to the Mount Girnar Hills. This rock edict is a huge stone and the carving in Brahmi script in Pali language mention the resistance to greed and animal sacrifice and also moralize the principles of purity of thought, secularism in thinking, kindness and gratitude.Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q4. Consider the following statements about Shrenis:

1. It was associations of crafts persons and merchants.
2. Shrenis of crafts persons provided training, procured raw material, and distributed the finished product.
3. Shrenis of merchants organised the trade.
4. Shrenis also served as banks and deposited money.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3.  2, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation:

Many crafts persons and merchants now formed associations known as shrenis. These shrenis of crafts persons provided training, procured raw material, and distributed the finished product. Then shrenis of merchants organised the trade. Shrenis also served as banks, where rich men and women deposited money. This was invested, and part of the interest was returned or used to support religious institutions such as monasteries.

Q5. Consider the following statements with respect to the Ramappa Temple:

• It was constructed during the reign of the Kakatiyas, by Ramappa, the general of King Ganapathi Deva.
• Ibn Battutah had remarked that the temple was the “brightest star in the galaxy of medieval temples of the Deccan.”

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None

Explanation:

Ramappa temple which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a temple that was built by Racherla Senapati Rudrayya, a general of Kakatiya king Ganapatideva, in the 13th century. Hence, statement 1 is not correct . Ramappa was the sculptor of the temple.Famous Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo had visited the temple. Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya Empire, allegedly called the temple “the brightest star in the galaxy of temples”. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q6. Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has been honoured with UNESCO award for Heritage Conservation. In this context, consider the following statements:

1. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is built in the Dravidian style.
2. Its Gopuram is the biggest Gopuram in Asia.
3. The temple was constructed during the Chalukyan period.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 3 only

Explanation:

Tamil Nadu’s historic Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam became a national symbol of conserving cultural heritage after bagging an Award of Merit from UNESCO. The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is the first temple in Tamil Nadu to have ever received a mighty recognition and award from UNESCO.It is considered as one of the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). It is Vaishnava temple built in Tamil or or Dravidian style of architecture. Its Gopuram also called as “Raja Gopuram is the biggest gopuram in Asia.

Q7. Consider the following statements:

• The World Heritage Convention 1972 sets out the duties of state parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them.
• India is a signatory to the World Heritage Convention 1972.
• Ramappa temple in Telangana is declared as the 39th world heritage site of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

The World Heritage Institute of Training and Research – Asia Pacific (WHITR-AP) is a non-profit organization specialized in the area of heritage conservation.It is an institute under the auspices of UNESCO, it is the first one established in the developing countries.It is an autonomous institution at the service of member states and associate members of UNESCO.Its mission is to strengthen implementation of the World Heritage Convention 1972 in the Asia and the Pacific region.TheWorld Heritage Convention is one of the most important global conservation instruments which was created in 1972.Its mission is to identify and protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value.It sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them. Hence, statement 1 is correct.By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage.India is a signatory to the convention and has 40 world heritage sites, which includes 32 cultural, 7 natural and one mixed property. Hence, statement 2 is correct.Ramappa Temple in Telangana was the 39^th and Dholavira in Gujarat was India’s 40^th world heritage site. Hence, statement 3 is correct.Hence, option (d) is the correct answer.

Q8. Which of the following is/are the Mountain Railways of India and are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

• Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
• Nilgiri Mountain Railway
• Kalka–Shimla Railway
• Kangra ValleyRailway
• Matheran Light Railway

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 1, 3, 4 and 5 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Explanation:

Three railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway, are collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Mountain Railways of India.The fourth railway, the Matheran Hill Railway, is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.The basis of UNESCO’s designation of the Mountain Railways of India as a World Heritage Site is “outstanding examples of bold, ingenious engineering solutions for the problem of establishing an effective rail link through rugged, mountainous terrain.”Hence, option (a) is the correct answer.

Q9. Which of the following is/are correctly matched:

1. Jagannath Das: Oriya
2. Pampa: Marathi
3. Gyaneswar: Kannada

Select the correct answer using the code below

1. 3 only
2. 1 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. None of the above

Explanation:

The power of ancient bhakti poetry in Tamil set in motion what might well be considered a pan-Indian efflorescence. After Tamil, Pampa’s great court epics were composed in Kannada in the 10th century. Devotional literature in Kannada, the Vachanas (sayings) of the various saints of the Krishna, Rama and Shiva cults, is well known.

Basavanna was a famous Kannada poet, a Shiva devotee and a great social reformer. AllamaPrabhu (Kannada) wrote great poetry under the garb of religion. Chronologically, Marathi, the close successor of Kannada, became the next venue for bhakti.

Gyaneswar (1275 A.D.) is the first and foremost bhakti poet in Marathi. In his teens (he died at the age of 21) he became famous for his poetic contribution to bhakti for Vithal (Vishnu). Eknath wrote his short poetic narratives and devotional abhangas (a literary form), and after him it was Tukarram (1608-1649 A.D.) whose songs cast a spell all over Maharasthra. And then it is Gujarati in the 12th century. Gujarati poets like Narsi Mehta and Premananda occupy a prominent place in the galaxy of the Vaishnava poets. Afterwards, the sequential order is as follows: Kashmiri, Bengali, Assamese, Manipuri, Oriya, Maithili, Braj, Avadhi (the last three languages come under the umbrella language, Hindi) and other languages of India.

Chandidas, a Bengali poet, is acclaimed as a great genius for the lucidity and sweetness of his poems. Similarly, Vidyapati in Maithili created a new poetic language.

Lal Ded, a Kashmiri Muslim poetess, gave a new dimension to mystical bhakti. Jayadeva, a Sanskrit lyric poet of the 12th century, influenced a large number of devotional Bengali poets like Govinda Das (16th century), Balaram Das and others. Sri Chaitanya (1486-1533), a great Bengali saint, helped Vaishnavism to turn into a religious and literary movement, made it a living faith and became a source of never-ending inspiration to a host of Bengali poets, including Jiva Goswami.

Sankardev (1449-1568), an Assamese devotional poet, used plays (Ankiya-Nat) and Kirtan (devotional songs) to propagate Vaishnavism and became a legend. Similarly, Jagannath Das is a legendary devotional poet in Oriya who wrote Bhagavat (the story of Krishna), which has spiritually united all the people of Orissa and created a living consciousness.

Q10. Which of the following is/are the Women Poets of Bhakti:

1. Romasha Brahmavadini
2. Habba Khatun
3. Lopamudra

Select the correct answer using the code below

• 1 only
• 1 and3 only
• 1, 2 and 3
• None of the above

Explanation:

Women Poets of Bhakti:

The contribution of women writers in different languages during that period deserves special attention. Women writers like Ghosha, Lopamudra, Gargi, Maitreyi, Apala, Romasha Brahmavadini, etc., right from the days of the Vedas (6000 B.C. – 4000 B.C.), focused on the image of women in mainstream Sanskrit literature. The songs of Buddhist nuns (6th century B.C.) like Mutta and Ubbiri and Mettika in Pali express the torment of feelings for the life left behind. The Alwar women poets (6th century A.D.), like Andal and others, gave expression to their love for the divine. Lal Ded (1320-1384), the Muslim poetess from Kashmir Lalded & Habba Khatun, represented the sant tradition of bhakti and wrote Vakhs (maxims), which are peerless gems of spiritual experience. Meera Bai, in Gujarati, Rajasthani and Hindi (she wrote in three languages), Avvayyar, in Tamil, and Akkamahadevi in Kannada, are well known for their sheer lyrical intensity and concentrated emotional appeal. Their writings speak to us about the social conditions prevailing at that time, and the position of woman at home and in society. They all wrote small lyrics or poems of devotional fervour, metaphysical depth, and with a spirit of dedication and utmost sincerity. Behind their mysticism and metaphysics is a divine sadness. They turned every wound inflicted by life into a poem.